Velociraptor's newly-discovered cousin had bird-like wings

If a new research is to be believed, a newly identified species of feathered dinosaur might be the largest ever discovered in China to have a well-preserved set of bird-like wings.

According to University of Edinburgh, the bird-like wings, which are very short compared with other dinosaurs in the same family, consisted of multiple layers of large feathers and it is has been found that the species' feathers were complex structures made up of fine branches stemming from a central shaft.

The species may have evolved from ancestors that could fly and used its wings solely for display purposes, in a similar way to how peacocks use their colourful tails.

The newly discovered species named Zhenyuanlong suni grew to more than five feet in length. Despite having bird-like wings, it probably could not fly, at least not using the same type of powerful muscle-driven flight as modern birds.

Dr Steve Brusatte, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who co-authored the study, said that this new dinosaur is one of the closest cousins of Velociraptor, but it looks just like a bird and was a dinosaur with huge wings made up of quill pen feathers, just like an eagle or a vulture.

Researchers suggested that the species belonged to a family of feathered carnivores that was widespread during the Cretaceous Period, and lived around 125 million years ago.

The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.